


Complimentary

by Pi (Rhea)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Community: kink_bingo, M/M, Verbal Humiliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-31
Updated: 2012-10-31
Packaged: 2017-11-17 10:37:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/550653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhea/pseuds/Pi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Stiles does not know how to take a compliment, somewhat not!fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Complimentary

Stiles knows he's awesome. Of course he knows. He tells everyone so, and he just saved everyone's lives, but of course he never gets any thanks so what does it matter really. Stiles will hug Scott, who's already running off to Allison, and wave goodbye to Isaac who's off to do something somewhere else with the other friends he's acquired since becoming an awesome werewolf and Lydia won't even be there because she's smart enough not to get herself into a near death situation and Stiles will get into his Jeep to go home when Derek will say, quietly, "Thank you."  
Stiles will be all, "What? What did you just...okay, clearly I'm hallucinating" and Derek will glare at him, proving him right. Then Stiles will drive himself home. Because maybe Stiles doubts himself a little. He is just human, an awesome human, but thin-skinned and bruise-able and not even as smart as Lydia. Well, maybe Stiles has the magic stuff sort of going on but Lydia's her badass self with firebombing and lock melting and chemical know-how not to mention she's just as quick on her feet as Stiles and more stylish while doing so. Stiles is still wearing his plaid, has not received his commemorative leather jacket and kindof might not be pack. 

Stiles doesn't spend a lot of time worrying about this because Stiles is necessary, he's badass in his own way. He's taken after Melissa McCall and now has a zombie-killing, vampire-bashing, bat of preparedness in the back of his Jeep which he can't figure out how to explain to his dad. His dad who he's still shamelessly lying to. Stile's life sucks and he gets no appreciation particularly when Scott is all, "Oh, Allison saved me with her awesome archery skills. There's no one who's hair glows so beautifully in the moonlight as Allison, let's go make out against that tree and ignore the fact that Stiles basically saved us all again!!" No, Stiles isn't bitter about it. Stiles does not sing "nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I guess I'll go eat worms" to himself while he drives home. It's not a thing. 

And so it makes sense that Stiles doesn't notice it at first, when Derek continues to say thank you. Because Derek doesn't really. Okay, he doesn't threaten Stiles with his teeth as much, or tell him to shut up, even when Stiles really expects it. So Stiles is necessarily thrown when Derek says, "And everyone should thank Stiles because he's the reason you idiots are all still alive." and storms out of the room. Them's fighting words, or the tone is, but everyone looks chargined and thanks Stiles as they leave for their various cars and places to lurk and Stiles can't help pressing his hands to his rather hot, and bloody cheeks. It's not just because he's blushing. He's got no idea how to explain his well abraided cheekbone to is father, but hey maybe no one will notice the blush. 

That's not exactly how it starts, but soon enough really weird things continue to happen. Like Erika lavaciously asking him out, only for it to be a double date to a drive in where Erika and Boyd spend the whole evening cuddled up and snickering to one another while Derek sits stiffly next to Stiles. There might be a moment that almost seems like Derek's trying to hold his hand, before Stiles realizes he's basically been hoarding the popcorn and Derek's probably reasonably irritated about that. Derek doesn't make anymore awkward hand grabs after Stiles hands over the popcorn at least. But the compliments don't stop coming, and they're real compliments now too. Like "Quick thinking, I wouldn't have spotted that Stiles," or "That jacket looks nice" (Stiles may have gone out and bought his own damn leather jacket at a thrift store, it has a stain on the lapel and a rip near the right bottom side, but who the fuck cares, leather jackets are freaking expensive). Stiles has no idea what to do with any of that. He invariably turns bright red and starts squriming because he's an idiot and can't figure out if Derek is joking, being sarcastic or means it honestly. And really, no matter the intention it makes a bright curl of embarrasment take up residence in his gut because what the fuck do you say to something like that. Stile's isn't any of those things, not really. Stiles tells people he's awesome, people don't agree with Stiles, it's just not done. Stiles tries to rationalize the words in those terms, the jacket's obviously not nice, Derek's just trying to make him feel better for wearing something so obviously second hand and lacking in quality. Derek would have spotted what Stiles noticed, but wants Stiles to feel better about being the slow one, the human, the extra weight in this very lean, very mean, not-quite killing machines outfit. It sucks, honestly because once Stiles gets into one of those spirals it's hard to stop and everytime Derek opens his mouth at this point (he doesn't talk much and 80% of the time it's those not!backhanded compliments) Stiles feels the stab of shame, the awareness of his own frail shoulders, his too large hands, the ways in which he just doesn't measure up to Lydia's whip-smart, stilleto-heeled human glory, Allison's moonlit archer-of-doom grace, or any of the many and varied werewolf powers of the week. It's enough to want to make a boy cry. Stiles doesn't cry though, just manfully smiles back at Derek and thanks him for whatever inane thing it is Derek is trying to make him feel better about. 

Every time it happens the reactions of the rest of the pack are worst. Isaac looks pityingly at Stiles, as if he understands, gets it, and is sorry for him. Erika looks *this close* to busting a gut and Boyd gets an expression like it pains him to watch the poor human be coddled. It's enough to make Stiles want to stop showing up at all. Which is probably good because Derek looks like he's just getting more and more frustrated and angry each time. And Stiles isn't even *doing* anything. So Stiles just sort of stops showing up. He's still there for the pack, but just not always in person. Derek stops with his not!compliments and Erika starts giving him sad kitten eyes and Isaac stops him in the hallway to hug him and tell him he's welcome back anytime and Stiles just cannot handle the mixed signals so he decides to confront Derek, which he should have done months ago, about what the hell has been going on, because really, if Derek likes rubbing his choice not to be a werewolf, his insufficiencies, in Stile's face so much he can just...jump off a cliff or something. 

Only, Stiles is halfway through his rant when Derek has this experssion like someone killed his favorite puppy, part horror, part sadness and he just reaches out, which is totally weird and *hugs* Stiles, which is just something they don't do because, werewolf touchy-feelies aside, Derek is not a hugger. Only apparently now he is, because he's holding Stiles like Stiles is precious and totally doesn't know it. When Derek draws back he's stern and serious but it's different from his serious-angry or serious-blank face. It's more serious-fond which is just unnerving.  
"I like you." Derek says, like he's purposefully trying to use small words and Stiles wants to bristle at the parternalistic-ness of that but,   
"What?"  
"I think your nose is cute, and you have nice hands, and I like how smart you are, and how you take care of my pack. I like that you're human. That you're blatantly human and wouldn't be any other way. I like you." And Stiles can't help but flail his hands at Derek because he did not see that coming.  
"Are you serious?"  
"I've been telling you for the last three months but you wouldn't listen!" and now Derek sounds like old angry Derek, but he's not angry at Stiles. He's running frustrated hand through is hair like he'd rather do nothing else but kiss Stiles senseless, only Stiles is so infuriating that he can't. And Stiles gets that. Stiles is an infuriating, crazy-making kid if ever there was one. Stiles almost wants to apologize but he's still stuck on the whole, those-compliments-were-compliments thing. Like Derek had actually been flirting with him.  
So Stiles asks the logical question, "Why me?" because really, why? And Derek grabs him and does kiss him and it's a bit angry and frustrated but it's still an awesome first kiss.  
"Because I like you." Derek says against Stile's lips, and maybe Stiles gets it a little bit this time, "Because you're smart, and you think of strategies I wouldn't, and you eat mushrooms off my slices of pizza when Erika insists on ordering pizza with mushrooms, and you're cute, and sarcastic, and I actually like listening to you talk." The words are almost a growl, sound more like a my-teeth-your-throat threat than all the previous compliments but now Stiles hears how they're genuine. It makes his chest clench tight and that same curl of something, that's still unsure and a bit awkward but a lot more like satisfaction and pleasure take up residence in the pit of his stomach. And when Stiles says "Thanks" this time he really means it.


End file.
